The Screwed Up Life of Charlie
by Drew Ferguson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Drew FergusonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-09-01
ISBN: 0758227086
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Kensington Books
Book Reviews of The Screwed Up Life of Charlie
Book Review: Talks to the "inner geek" in all of us! Hillarious and well-written.
Summary: 5 Stars
As he begins his senior year of high school, Charlie Stewart is your classic 17 year old cynical and sarcastic geek ... somewhat like a "Napoleon Dynamite," except he is growing up as a constantly-horny openly-gay teen, in a suburban town outside of Chicago. His parents accept their son's sexuality, although they suffer from the usual teen-parent communication problems that make Charlie (named after his ambitious and somewhat overbearing father, whom he refers to simply as "First") feel alienated from them. Bink, His best friend since second grade, is a straight jock (and the subject of many of Charlie's frequent masturbatory fantasies) whose new girlfriend monopolizes most of his time, and leaving Charlie's only real connection with his peers as the goalie for the school's somewhat-successful soccer team.
In the months that follow, Charlie finds his first love, with Rob, a new boy in town with a mother dying of ALS. He also deals with the possibility of his parents divorcing, unwittingly getting involved in some of his friends' family conflicts, uncertainty about his future, as he becomes a more self-assured and ambitious young man.
The book is structured as a series of entries in Charlie's private journal, a gimmick I usually frown on, but it's perfect here in letting us get to better know Charlie's feelings and concerns, as well as his mindset in working through problems. His takes on his classmates, teachers and his parents are very perceptive and always hilarious, and you can't help but root for Charlie in his encounters with the "P's" (his parents) and how he bears up to torment by his peers at school, on the soccer field, and around town. Charlie's struggles ring familiar to the "inner geek" in all of us, and he gives us hope for everyone going through such struggles. This is a witty, realistic, engaging and well-written "coming-of-age" novel by a promising new author, which I enthusiastically give five stars out of five!
Summary of The Screwed Up Life of Charlie
Being Charles James Stewart, Jr. AKA Charlie the Second means never "fitting in." Tall, gangly and big-eared, he could be the poster boy for teenage geeks. An embarrassment to his parents (he's not to crazy about them, either), Charlie is a virtual untouchable at his school, where humiliation is practically an extra curricular activity. Charlie has tried to fit in, but all of his efforts fall on a glorious, monumental scale. He plays soccer--mainly to escape his home life--but isn't accepted by his teammates who basically ignore him on the field. He still confuses the accelerator with the brake pedal and has failed his driving exam six times. He can't work on his college application essay without writing a searing tell-all. But what's freaking Charlie out the most is that while his hormones are raging and his peers are pairing off, he remains alone with his fantasies.But all of this is about to change when a new guy at school begins to liven things up on the soccer team--and in Charlie's life. For the first time in his seventeen years, Charlie will learn how it feels to be a star, at least off the field. But Charlie discovers that even cool guys have problems as he embarks on an unforgettable, risk-filled journey from which there is no turning back....
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